


Let there be no pain

by HaleyBuckley



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020), Tarlos
Genre: Gun Violence, Hospitalization, Hurt TK Strand, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:13:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23016073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaleyBuckley/pseuds/HaleyBuckley
Summary: TK getting shot in 1x08 from TK’s point of view
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Tarlos - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 181





	Let there be no pain

TK sees the barrel of the gun. Hears the loud bang. Feels the pain in his chest. Sees smoke coming out of the gun. Hears the wheezing sound coming out of his chest.

He grabs the door frame tight, feeling dizziness over coming him. He looks over to his dad. He’s terrified. He has to blink a couple of times to get his eyes back to focus. His knees buckle and he can’t hold himself up any longer. He grabs his father shoulders, trying to stop himself from falling but he slides down on the floor. The wheezing sound he can hear, gets louder and louder. He doesn’t feel any pain though.

“TK!!!”

His dad delicately lies him down on the floor. There’s hands touching him. Suddenly he coughs and the pain his back. There’s an iron taste in his mouth now. His dads yells something but he can’t hear him over the rushing sound in his ears. Michelle’s face appears in front of him.

“Stay awake TK, keep your eyes open!”

His dad waves around with his hands and TK can see they’re red. Why are they red. He tries to move his head and get a glimpse of what’s going on. His shirt is wet or he thinks it’s wet till he realizes it’s blood.

He coughs again and he finally feels the pain almost ripping him apart. He can’t get any air in and the wheezing sound has stopped. He thinks that isn’t a good sing. There’s more hands on him now and he sees Judd holding his father by the shoulders, dragging him back.

It’s soft hands on his face now. Someone’s talking to him but the noises in his ears are too loud and he can’t understand a thing.

There’s pressure on his chest and he feels like his body is gonna break any second. The pressure gets worse but than lessens. Someone’s opening his mouth and he can feel a brush of air touching his tongue. It’s not reaching his aching chest though.

His mind goes foggy and he looks around one last time. He wants to see his dad. He wants to tell him how much he loves him and needs him. He doesn’t want to go, not like this. He promised to be strong for him, to have his back, not bleeding out on some strangers hallway floor. He sees his father cry. Judds arms around his body helping him to stand up right.

TK wants to hold on but the pressure is too mcuh, the pain unbearable and he has to close his eyes and let the darkness overcome him.

*~*~ *~*~ *~*~ *~*~

TK feels warm. He’s floating and there’s a blinding light. He can hear noises. No it’s voices. Someone’s talking. There’s this annoying beeping sound at the back of his head and it drives him insane. He tries to move but he can’t. His body limp and tired. He tries to remember what happened and pictures of the kid and the gun are floating his mind. Right. He got shot. He hopes the kid is ok, it must have bene a hell of a shock. He tries to focus on the voice again and wants to know what on earth is going on? Is he dead? 

“I talked to your mom.”

So it’s his dad sitting next to him he realzises. He hears the sadness and worry in his voice and he wants to touch him, wants to comfort him and tell him that he’s here and that he can hear him.

“That was a fun conversation.”

He bets it was. His mom yelling down the phone, why his father didn’t protect him. He’s been there, done it. He remembers when he broke his arm because he fell off a tree and how his mom’d panicked and they had a big fight.

“She went into full lawyer mode. She practically deposed the doctor, asked him a million of medical questions. The good news is he told her they were able to reinflate your lung.”

That’s a good thing isn’t it. Even though it doesn’t feel like he still has a lung. He doesn’t fell anything to be honest. He’s just there. He’s just excisting. He panics for a bit and hopes they thought of not giving him any opiod based painkillers. But he trusts his dad he would have made sure of it.

“But um we won’t know about any brain issuses until you wake up.”

Oh. That’s not good isn’t it. His brain is working though. He can think. It’s just his body that isn’t listening to him. He tries to move a finger or toe. But nothing. He feels frustration and anger rising. He wants to open his eyes.

“But I told her not to worry, that her beautiful, strong, resilient kid will be on his feet in no time.”

He wishes. He doesn’t even know where his body begins and ends. His dad’s always been the optimist, always positive. He needs that positivity now when he’s lying in a hospital with no signs of waking up anytime soon. He wants to wake up so badly.

There’s a hand on his chin and his father rubs soft circles into his cheek. Strokes his hair off his forehead. It’s so soft and TK wants to give in and float away. He can’t though, he can’t leave.

“TK if you can hear me, I want you to squeeze my hand.”

There’s a pressure on his hand and he tries and tries to squeeze back but its not working. He fucking can’t move a finger. If he could cry he would. He wants to squeeze back, wants to tell his dad he’s here. But there’s nothing. He can’t do nothing.

“Please come back to me son.”

TK feels his heart stutter a bit and he feels woozy. His vision goes sideways and everything goes black.

*~*~ *~*~ *~*~ *~*~

TK doesn’t know how much time has gone by but he slowly comes back. He feels lighter but he still can’t move or get his damn eyes to open. He concentrates on his hearing and notices there’s someone sitting with him. He can also feel soft strokes on his forehead. There’s a weight on his biceps. Fingers gently lying against his skin.

“Hey TK it’s Carlos, don’t you think it’s time for you to finally get those eyes open? We miss you. I miss you.”

TK’s hearts beats faster or he thinks its does. He needs to get those godamn eyes open now. He still feels tired and everything aches and there’s a dull pain in his chest. He doesn’t know what keeps him from waking up. He wants to wake up.

“You know the team hasn’t left your side. They’re all sleeping outside in the waiting room. Your dad’s just out to get a coffee.”

Carlos ruffling his hair and it tickles him and he wants to speak up, wants to tell Carlos that he’s here.

“You scared the shit out of me Tyler.”

Oh he’s getting serious now when he uses his real name. He thinks about the first time he called him that. At the police station. How he hates his full name but hearing it coming out of Carlos mouth gaves him a shudder. In a postive way. He says it in a warm and loving way and all of a sudden he really wants to kiss the other man.

“I - I can’t lose you, you know. You’re important to me. And I know you need time and I understand that and I’ll give you all the time you need. but please Tyler come back to me. To us.”

There’s a wetness on his face now and he realises that the other man is crying. Tears falling onto his face. He doesn’t want Carlos to cry, not over him. He wants to see his smile, his dark, almost black eyes he can’t get enough of. The cocky smirk. He wants to see him. He puts all his concentration on his fingers but he still can’t move them. He wants to scream.

“Right. Sorry I’m supposed to be the strong one here. Whatever happens, I’ll be here ok? All the way. I’m falling in love with you Tyler Kennedy Strand and I can’t stop it and I don’t want to. I’m gonna give you all my love and I hope one day you can take it.”

TK feels the other man shake against him and he wants to hold him. Wants to make him stop shaking. There’s another hand on his face now and he’s annoyed that he just can’t open his eyes. 

“He’s gonna come back to us Carlos. He’s a fighter. Thanks for sitting with him. I know he’d appreciate it. I do.”

There he is, his positive dad. God he loves him so much. And he knows there’s something in his heart about Carlos. He fascinates him, he makes him smile and happy. If he just wasn’t so scared of being hurt again. But hey he got shot, it can’t be worse than that. He wants to tell Carlos that he feels for him too. That he’ll try to get better, that he’ll try to trust again. He wants this and he wants the other man.

Suddenly he feels this energy rushing over him. Everything clears up and he focuses on his warm fingers. If he just could move them a bit. His fingertips tingle and he gets his index finger to move. Fucking finally.

“Owen! Look!”

Ha, so it worked. He moves his finger again and he feels someone grab his hand. The skin on skin contact sends tiny sparkles up his arm.

“TK can you hear me? Please squeeze my hand!”

He squeezes as much as he can, which isn’t much but it seems to work and there’s another hand surrounding theirs.

“Oh my god son. I am so glad you’re with us. Can you open your eyes?”

Yeah he’s working on that but for now moving his fingers is enough. He’ll try to open his eyes later he thinks. For now he soaks in the feeling of the other man’s hands on his. 

He’ll wake up.

He has to.


End file.
